Counties are accused of acting as finishing schools for overseas players who subsequently return to terrorise England in international games. If the world's No1-rated bowler, Dale Steyn, maintains his sensational form for South Africa in the forthcoming Test series, there may be a few accusing fingers pointed at Essex and Warwickshire.

While no one was ever in doubt that Steyn had genuine pace, the suspicion was that he had been blooded into the international game too early when he played three Tests against England in 2004-05. He was forced to wait 16 months for another Test cap but made profitable use of the time by playing for Essex in 2005. Results were modest, but he learned plenty about English conditions.

"I realised where I shouldn't be bowling," said Steyn, 24, who arrives with the tourists today. "You can't bowl short in England. In South Africa you can get away with it as the pitches are harder and bouncier, but it just wasn't happening for me at Essex."

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The penny had dropped by the time he returned to the county game with Warwickshire in 2007. "I was more street-smart by then," he said. "I learnt to bowl fuller with the seam up front, and when the lacquer came off the ball, I learnt how to make it swing more.

"Then I could put in a cover, get more slips in, bowl one side of the wicket to a seven-two field and let the batsmen come at me. It was the start of a learning curve for me. Warwickshire made me so happy, like I was their golden boy."

Steyn has been in stunning form since. He took 40 wickets in five home Tests against New Zealand and West Indies in our winter, then in the spring, on fast bowlers' 'graveyards', he took 14 wickets in two Tests in Bangladesh and 15 in three in India. He already has 120 wickets in 23 Tests, after breaking Allan Donald's record to become the fastest South African to 100 Test wickets by two Tests.

It has filled him with confidence ahead of facing England. "I can't wait to play in English conditions again," he said. "I've matured. I'm not as frustrated as I was when I wanted to take a wicket every ball. Now I've realised you have six balls in an over to set a batsman up, and one wicket in a six-over spell is fine - you don't have to take three or four every time."